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Shea Growth And Retention Regimen 2018

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Has Shea Butter 'got you'?

  • Let me look over my investment portfolio and see if I have room for shea related stocks.

    Votes: 21 12.8%

  • I've got 8 pounds in the house, I need to order me some more because I don't want to run out.

    Votes: 29 17.7%

  • 1 Day without sealing my ends is just unthinkable.

    Votes: 12 7.3%

  • It works for me for now.

    Votes: 45 27.4%

  • Nah, I can take it or leave it.

    Votes: 12 7.3%

  • Meh, I'm here for the posts.

    Votes: 28 17.1%

  • That stuff just weighs down my hair. No thanks!

    Votes: 17 10.4%
  • Total voters
    164
2 Types of Butters: West and North!
Vitellaria Paradoxa (West Africa)-Traditionally Used as Butter for Skin and Hair and
Nilotica (Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan-Traditional Used as an Oil for Cosmetics)​

"The West African variety of shea, Vitellaria paradoxa, has been traditionally processed and locally used, as cooking oil or as butter for the skin and hair. A subspecies nilotica, found in northern Uganda and southern Sudan produces superior quality oil for the cosmetics industry, but is not found in food preparation or as a food ingredient."

Source: "THE SHEA BUTTER VALUE CHAIN REFINING IN WEST AFRICA WATH" Technical Report No. 3, page 8 of 36
 
Did You Know?​


According to the Institute of International Tropical Agriculture, Africa produces about 1,760,000 metric tonnes (t) of raw shea nuts annually (IITA, March 2002) from its wild trees mainly in the Savannah and Sahel regions. Producers, however, harvest only a fraction, about 35% (about 600,000 t ), which is then transformed into butter or exported as nuts.

The shea tree grows naturally in the wild of the dry Savannah belt of West Africa. Its range stretches from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and into the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. Shea trees thrive in 19 countries across the African continent.

Seven West African countries (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Mali and Togo) produce a total of about 500,000 t of shea nuts. These countries export an estimated 270,000 t as raw nuts and convert the remaining 230,000 t into roughly 60,000 t of crude shea butter, half of which is later exported.

Source: "THE SHEA BUTTER VALUE CHAIN REFINING IN WEST AFRICA WATH" Technical Report No. 3, Executive Summary
 
IDareT'sHair said:
@Chicoro
Do you happen to know the origins your "Fermented Nutty" Butter came from?

I got a hold of a real funky butter that claims to be from G.hana and I wondered if I just think it stanks naturally or if it was made with rotten or fermented Shea nuts?
Click to expand...

Mine was from Dakar, Senegal: Zena Pure Shea Butter (Manufactured by Zena Exotic Fruits, Dakar, Senegal)
http://www.senegalexport.com/fr/zena-exotic-fruits-success-story

What is all the information on yours? Do you have names and addresses? If so, can you post it?
 
We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Shea Programming... for LHCF Member
@Zaz !​



Hey! One of our members here, @Zaz is trying to win an opportunity to do some writing abroad in Africa. All you have to do is go to the LHCF thread I linked below, and click on it and the Facebook link of her post is provided in that thread. She only needs for you to like her Facebook post. That's it! Just two (2) steps to help make one of our member's dream come true.

https://longhaircareforum.com/threads/help-me-win-please.831199/
 
NASPAN set to grow GDP as Nigeria loses
$2.2b to shea smuggling​
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/naspan-set-to-grow-gdp-as-nigeria-loses-2-2b-to-shea-smuggling/
​
By Ebele Orakpo (written in 2015)

Although Nigeria is the largest producer of shea nuts in Africa, accounting for about 40 per cent of the 600,000 MT of shea nut in West Africa annually, accounting for almost 60 per cent of world’s supply of shea butter and allied derivatives valued at about $3.8 billion every year according to Global Shea Alliance, yet, the country is not benefiting from the huge shea market because of low quality of the butter and nuts. [...]


If we get the government on our side to improve the quality, train more women in the rural areas, we will achieve much.” In some of these villages, there are no television sets so the women are cut off, meanwhile they are the ones putting food on a lot of people’s table. Government needs to help us strategize on how to help the women in health and safety. Most times they get raped, bitten by snakes etc. Women go into the bush at about 5.00am to pick the nuts.


There is also a process for picking shea nuts. It is all natural; nobody planted shea tree. It is a gift from God and because of that, every single process of shea is natural. The picking, boiling, processing are all natural. Shea nuts are not plucked from the tree, they are allowed to drop by themselves. If they are plucked from the tree, you get low quality butter. Taking them to a processing centre is another issue entirely. [...]

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/naspan-set-to-grow-gdp-as-nigeria-loses-2-2b-to-shea-smuggling/
 
Last edited:
caribeandiva said:
I went to visit a long time friend today and we started talking about hair. She told me that she recently got serious about her hair and wants to grow it long like the girls she’s seen on YouTube. :lol: She then asked me if I used rice water and I told her no. She asked why and I said because I use Shea Butter and don’t feel like I need it. I asked her if she knows what Shea Butter is and she said: “your sister gave me a small container a few weeks ago”. I should’ve known. :lol:

I showed her my hair progress pictures and let’s just say she was interested in what I was doing. :lol: Long story short, we went shopping, and I revamped her hair care regimen. I introduced her to @Chicoro and her LOC method. We bought some Shea Butter at a local bss. We went back to her house and I showed her how to make whipped Shea Butter. I even let her use my new fragrance oils and she chose peach. It smells awesome! Her hair was super dry like mine. She’s currently DCing as we speak with @ElevatedEnergy ’s oatmeal milk, conditioner, olive oil and honey. She’s so excited! She keeps saying: “I have curls and they’re popping!! My curls are popping!!”. We’ll seal her hair with Shea Butter like I do when she’s done. She’s gonna take progress pictures monthly. She’s a new mom so she doesn’t have the most free time right now. I wanna thank you ladies. You never know who the scraps off your table will end up feeding.
Click to expand...

Let's go ahead and prepare her seat in the "Shea Unicorn Hall of Fame". *pats seats*
Let your friend know we are keeping her seat warm!
 
Chicoro said:
NASPAN set to grow GDP as Nigeria loses
$2.2b to shea smuggling​
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/naspan-set-to-grow-gdp-as-nigeria-loses-2-2b-to-shea-smuggling/
​
By Ebele Orakpo (written in 2015)

Although Nigeria is the largest producer of shea nuts in Africa, accounting for about 40 per cent of the 600,000 MT of shea nut in West Africa annually, accounting for almost 60 per cent of world’s supply of shea butter and allied derivatives valued at about $3.8 billion every year according to Global Shea Alliance, yet, the country is not benefiting from the huge shea market because of low quality of the butter and nuts. [...]


If we get the government on our side to improve the quality, train more women in the rural areas, we will achieve much.” In some of these villages, there are no television sets so the women are cut off, meanwhile they are the ones putting food on a lot of people’s table. Government needs to help us strategize on how to help the women in health and safety. Most times they get raped, bitten by snakes etc. Women go into the bush at about 5.00am to pick the nuts.


There is also a process for picking shea nuts. It is all natural; nobody planted shea tree. It is a gift from God and because of that, every single process of shea is natural. The picking, boiling, processing are all natural. Shea nuts are not plucked from the tree, they are allowed to drop by themselves. If they are plucked from the tree, you get low quality butter. Taking them to a processing centre is another issue entirely. [...]

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/naspan-set-to-grow-gdp-as-nigeria-loses-2-2b-to-shea-smuggling/
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. Is there something we can do to help? Petition the government or write to our congressional reps to discuss this with Nigeria? I know it’s a long shot with this administration but I would like to see the women protected and empowered.
 
Kimbosheart said:
Thanks for this. Is there something we can do to help? Petition the government or write to our congressional reps to discuss this with Nigeria? I know it’s a long shot with this administration but I would like to see the women protected and empowered.
Click to expand...

I don't know.

If I had to give an answer, I personally would not spend time or effort on a petition. Ideally, spending our money DIRECTLY with the cooperatives would seem to be far more impactful.

That article was published in 2015. I presented it here to help provide a 360 view of what can happen and does happen to the women, as it relates to the gathering of Shea nuts. Most people in America lead a GREAT, cushy, life in comparison to 99.99% of the world. The average American is very, very lucky. Black women in America, compared to Black women in other parts of the world, especially lead outstanding lives, even when racism and poverty are taken into account. But that is my unsubstantiated, opinion. In the scheme of things, my opinion means nothing and it counts for nothing.

I try to provide information. I know women on LHCF like to have the 360 view of situations in order to make their own assessments and draw their own conclusions.


As @Honey Bee
stated in post #480 of this thread, vertical integration is what is needed. The closer the women are to their customer, the more money they make. Right now, they gather the nuts and those are shipped off and processed somewhere else.

So the point is, with Black American women in the US being technically savvy, influential and concerned about the welfare of others, there is a perfect set-up for us to work together. I think many of us would love to buy directly from the women cooperatives!

If these women cooperatives could:
  1. Get online with websites from which we could order direct (gatherer - to - customer with no middle persons)
  2. Use that cash to buy and increase their control of more parts of the value chain (processing factories, end product creation, retail etc)
  3. Continue to improve the quality of their Shea butter
  4. Create high end products using Shea butter
I believe that would do more than any protesting or petition writing. People want to eat, live and enjoy life. Money is the means by which many can do so.


I don't think it's about administrative or political support. It's about money. Money is power. They need to have direct access to the money. That would include, but not be limited to, individual customers like us. These things are what would help.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the background. I like the buying from collectives idea and I know there are a few startups giving micro loans to indigenous businesses in Africa. They also provide some business support. That may be a good place to start.

I mentioned political since that article seemed to initially discuss some government support they were lobbying for.
 
Kimbosheart said:
Thanks for the background. I like the buying from collectives idea and I know there are a few startups giving micro loans to indigenous businesses in Africa. They also provide some business support. That may be a good place to start.

I mentioned political since that article seemed to initially discuss some government support they were lobbying for.
Click to expand...

It was a good question that you asked. And it is good information you have provided for us. You just never know what you write could be the answer that someone is looking for! So keep those thoughts, opinions and questions coming.
 
Lawd..I have posted something in the wrong thread.....*Sighs*

anyway, my message was

@Chicoro & @Zaz -- It is done. I "liked" her post and wished her well. If there is anything else I can do to help a sista, let me know.

@ElevatedEnergy -- again, pardon my manners, with this thread moving at lightening speed, CONGRATS on your Shea Unicorn Hall of Fame status :)

I'm going to try your deep conditioner recipe very soon, once i figure out a regimen as to whether I should wash and deep condition weekly or bi weekly.
 
ThatJerseyGirl said:
Lawd..I have posted something in the wrong thread.....*Sighs*

anyway, my message was

@Chicoro & @Zaz -- It is done. I "liked" her post and wished her well. If there is anything else I can do to help a sista, let me know.

@ElevatedEnergy -- again, pardon my manners, with this thread moving at lightening speed, CONGRATS on your Shea Unicorn Hall of Fame status :)

I'm going to try your deep conditioner recipe very soon, once i figure out a regimen as to whether I should wash and deep condition weekly or bi weekly.
Click to expand...

So cute! :)
I said to myself, " This Shea butter thread is now starting to invade other threads! We out here on these streets posting about Shea butter all over LHCF! :toocool: Shea butter respects NO BOUNDARIES! Shea butter using us as vessels to 'gone get' other people who aren't even interested in this thread or Shea butter.

@ThatJerseyGirl , you are true Shea Soldier, girl!
 
Chicoro said:
We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Shea Programming... for LHCF Member
@Zaz !​



Hey! One of our members here, @Zaz is trying to win an opportunity to do some writing abroad in Africa. All you have to do is go to the LHCF thread I linked below, and click on it and the Facebook link of her post is provided in that thread. She only needs for you to like her Facebook post. That's it! Just two (2) steps to help make one of our member's dream come true.

https://longhaircareforum.com/threads/help-me-win-please.831199/
Click to expand...
Congrats to @Zaz but unfortunately I no longer have a Facebook page so I'm unable to like her post but I wish all the best with her quest.
 
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